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Bluetooth opened up for Dos, Linux, or even BIOS access by CSR

The long-awaited breakthrough of Bluetooth to a $3 chip arrived today, with the announcement of Cambridge Silicon Radio's new BlueCore2 silicon, sampling now. But there's more to it: the new chipset includes the entire Bluetooth Protocol Stack. This means you don't have to load software onto your PC or PDA to run Bluetooth; which means in turn, it doesn't matter what operating software you have.

Products featuring the new chip set could be on the market as early as this Xmas, the company expects.

John Hodgson confirmed that the new integrated chip would not only be able to do its own audio tricks - including hi-fi stereo - but would run on any form of computer.

The main thrust of CSR's marketing for BlueCore3 (BC3) is that it is "the first complete implementation of the Bluetooth version 1.2 standard - including all optional features of the standard." And the feature which will please all system designers is the improved quality of service, said Hodgson. But usability was equally vital to the company's plans.

Other key features include a noticeable reduction in power consumption when running at full speed, and an even greater reduction in standby mode. According to marketing director Glenn Collinson, the new chip makes it possible to have a ten-hour headset - "You will recharge your Bluetooth headset about as often as you charge your phone," he told analysts in London this morning.

The new features of the BC3 chip include:

* uses 18 per cent less current than previous generations

* Adaptive Frequency Hopping - to avoid interference with WiFi

* a full digital signal co-processor

* A complete hi fidelity stereo audio codec on chip

* Four variants of the chip, from a full system, to a cut-down rom-only cost-reduced form for system integrators

The audio additions, said Collinson, will take the company rapidly into cars. "We can now improve the audio performance of an in-car hands-free system, and even do noise cancelling and voice dialling without the phone manufacturer having to redesign their phone to handle these functions," he said. "We expect this to greatly reduce the time it takes a phone maker to include our designs in new phones," he added.

Full information from the CSR Web site and also from the partner web site for Bluetooth designers.